How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
PRX
While religion and science often seem at odds, there’s one thing they can agree on: people who take part in spiritual practices tend to live longer, healthier, and happier lives. The big question is: Why? In How God Works, professor Dave DeSteno takes us on a journey to find out how spirituality impacts our minds and bodies, as well as the world in which we live.He speaks to leading scientists and philosophers, religious thinkers, and thought leaders to explore what we can learn from the world’s faith traditions to help us meet some of life’s biggest challenges. Along the way, he’ll look at how we can adapt and use spiritual practices in our own lives, whatever our beliefs, including none at all.It’s by working across the boundaries that usually divide us – science versus religion, one faith versus another – that we’ll find new ways to make life better for everyone.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 13, 2022 • 35min
Adolescence: How to Build an Adult
When you're a teenager, you're kind of between two worlds. You're leaving the comforts and carefree days of childhood behind and stepping into the challenges and responsibilities adulthood brings. But when exactly should you make that change? And, more importantly, how can rites-of-passage help? Join Dave as he talks with psychologist Leah Somerville and religion scholar Connor Wood to explore the adolescent mind and how rituals can help it learn to “adult.”
For more on Leah Somerville’s work, click here. To read some of Connor Wood’s writing, visit Science on Religion.
Feb 27, 2022 • 35min
Childhood: Growing the Moral Muscle
Do children need religion to grow into ethical, caring adults? Sixty-five percent of Americans think so, but the relationship between religion and morality is a nuanced one. Join Dave as he talks with psychologist Larisa Heiphetz and Unitarian Universalist minister Leonisa Ardizzone to explore how kids’ beliefs about God and participation in rituals – spiritual and secular – can shape their growing sense of right and wrong.
For more on Larisa Heiphetz’s work, click here or check out the Columbia Social and Moral Cognition Lab. Find out more about Leonisa Ardizzone on her website, and the Fourth Universalist Society here.
Ara Norenzayan’s book, “Big Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict,” is available here.
Feb 13, 2022 • 31min
Birth: Getting Off to Good Start
For all the joys a new child brings, it can also be a trying time filled with stresses, worries, and for some, depression. Long before new parents turned to books and blogs for advice, they turned to traditional practices and community for support. Join Dave as he speaks with neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett and psychologist Andi Clements to explore how religious practices big and small can help parents bond with their babies, reduce their stress, and even ward off postpartum depression, AND how anyone can use the wisdom of those practices in their own lives when children arrive.
For more on Andi Clements’s research, click here. Lisa Feldman Barrett’s books, articles and talks can be found on her website.
Jan 30, 2022 • 11min
New Year, New You, Take 2!
Struggling with your New Year's resolution already? You're not alone! By this time every year, more than 25% of resolutions have already been broken. In this bonus episode, Dave will share three tips to get you back on track.
Jan 9, 2022 • 31min
Pain: The Benefits of Suffering
Across the world, people accept pain in the name of God. Whether through painful public rituals or private sacrifices, suffering plays a role in many faiths. Join Dave and his guests anthropologist Dimitris Xygalatas and psychologist Paul Bloom to see how extreme rituals improve the lives of both those who do them and those who watch them, as well as why milder forms of suffering may help people find meaning and growth.
For more on Dimitris Xygalatas’s research, click here. Paul Bloom’s books, including The Sweet Spot, are listed here.
Dec 26, 2021 • 31min
Giving Alms: Why Everybody Wins
December concludes a season of gifts for many. And while it's undeniably enjoyable to get gifts, it’s not what brings us the most happiness. It turns out GIVING gifts not only makes us happier than getting them, but does so for longer. Join Dave as he speaks with Harvard Professor Michael Norton and Director of Indiana University’s Muslim Philantropy Initiative Shariq Siddiqui to learn more about why giving brings us joy, how many of the world’s faiths have found ways to help us do it no matter the size of our bank accounts, and why it just might make sense to add it to your list of resolutions for 2022.
For more, check out Michael Norton’s book and TEDx talk on giving. Learn about Shariq Siddiqui’s work here.
Dec 12, 2021 • 36min
Healing Rituals: There’s Power in Belief
A majority of people in the US believe that faith can heal. And while there isn’t any strong scientific data backing the idea of faith healing by divine intervention, there is a growing recognition that faith in the power of a person, religious ritual, or even medicine to heal can play a role in recovery via the placebo effect. Join Dave and his guests science writer Erik Vance and health psychologist Alia Crum to explore the surprising ways belief in placebos can heal, and how, if you’ve ever taken a medication, it’s already worked to your benefit.
For more, check out Erik Vance’s book, Suggestible You. Learn about Alia Crum’s work here.
Nov 28, 2021 • 26min
Transcendence: Why Chemicals Need Rituals
For centuries, Central and South American cultures have used psychedelics to induce mystical states. And while in the US they’ve mostly been used as recreational drugs, interest in their power to offer a rapid route to transcendence has recently been growing. But in our haste to use these chemicals to alter, and perhaps even heal, the mind, we might be losing sight that with speed comes risk. Join Dave as he talks with author Michael Pollan and researcher David Yaden about the nature of self-transcendent experiences, the science of how psychedelics can bring them on, and the dangers of disregarding centuries of shamanic knowledge about how to use them wisely.
Nov 14, 2021 • 31min
Gratitude: Why Every Day Should Be Thanksgiving
Diana Butler Bass, an author and religious scholar, joins Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman, founder of Sinai and Synapses, to delve into the transformative power of gratitude. They discuss how gratitude isn't just a reflection on the past but a forward-looking emotion that enhances honesty, generosity, and relationships. The conversation highlights the importance of daily practices of gratitude, especially within religious traditions, encouraging listeners to embrace it as a multivitamin for the soul that strengthens community bonds and emotional resilience.
11 snips
Oct 31, 2021 • 35min
Contemplating Death: A Secret for Happiness
COVID-19 has led to what’s being called The Great Resignation. People are leaving their jobs in record numbers, many to find more meaning in life or to spend more time with family and friends. As it turns out, realizing that death might not be as far off as it usually seems just might have something to do with that. Join Dave and his guests, psychologist Laura Carstensen and Catholic priest James Martin, as they talk about why thinking about death can be a useful exercise for improving your life at any time, not just in the midst of a pandemic.
